Hello Kitty is an animated cat that was created by Sanrio more than 30
years ago. Since her creation, she has become the most popular of the
Sanrio characters and the idol of millions of young females in Asia and
everywhere else. Today she appears on thousands of different things
ranging from teddy bears over toothbrushes to pink electronics.
Hello Kitty was born on the drawing board of Sanrio in Kobe, Japan in
1974. She was designed by the Sanrio employee Ikuko Shimizu, but later
the responsibility for her was given to first Setsuko Yonekubo and later
Yuko Yamaguchi. In 1975 did she appear for the on her first item, a
small plastic coin purse and soon other small items for young girls
followed.
The Hello Kitty items was a big success and started to sell very well.
Soon after followed American Sanrio shops with Hello Kitty and other
popular characters. The first Sanrio shop in America appeared in 1976.
Today there are more than 120 official Sanrio shops and more than 3000
affiliate shops.
A special team at Sanrio lead by Yuko Yamaguchi takes care of Hello
Kitty, introduces new designs with her image and removes old designs.
Every year thousands of new items appear, while an equal number of old
items disappear. Most of the items feature Hello Kitty, but it's also
possible to find items with her family and friends.
There are several films, books and more about Hello Kitty and she also
have her own fan club. In 1990 did she open her own theme park, Sanrio
Puroland, in Japan and there she currently receives around 1.4 million
visitors a year. She has even become so popular that she has been named
junior ambassador to UNICEF.
Today there seems to be no limitations to the popularity of Hello Kitty.
Famous western pop starts and actors have recently started wearing
Hello Kitty jewelry, so might easily become in more popular in the
coming years. Some of the western pop stars and actors that have been
seen with Hello Kitty jewelry include Britney Spears, Mariah Carey,
Cameron Diaz and Paris Hilton. Even famous men like Ricky Martin and
Steve Tyler have contributed to Hello Kitty's popularity.
